Amusement devices having seat assemblies for the passengers are well known from the art and applied in many amusement devices such as roller coasters, both in fairgrounds and in amusement parks.
An example of an amusement device with seat assembly is shown in US 2003/0024428. In this prior art device a seat has an associated pivotable hip bar construction which includes two spaced apart pivot arms and a hip bar fastened at the lower end of the pivot arms. In the lowered position the pivot arms are located in front of the passenger's head, which have the effect of a cage. This is to the detriment of the sense of excitement of the passenger.
A further example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,398. Here the seat is provided with shoulder straps that each extend from an associated anchoring point on the backrest to a belt tensioner at the respective side of the seat. A pivotable hip bar construction includes a hip bar element and a central pivotable rod supporting said hip bar element. This pivotable rod is pivoted to a foot rest platform below the seat. This seat assembly is disadvantageous in view of the speed and comfort of boarding and disembarking of the passengers. Also the design requires a foot rest platform which is reduces the sense of freedom of the passengers and thus the thrill of the ride.